Thanks and V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

First off, I wanted to say thank you to all of you who expressed your sympathies both here, and on Twitter. It meant a lot to me. I was thoroughly blessed by you all, and so glad to know that people care.

Funerals are hard. Everyone knows that. But my family and I were blessed in a lot of ways as well. Churches contributed food, stopped by the funeral home, and called to check on us. I was able to spend time with some of my cousins, one of whom I hadn't seen in 12 years. And, I was reminded how much people really care.

One thing I know for sure....funerals are for the living. They help with closure. They help with support during a difficult time.

A small funny from the funeral: for as long as I can remember, my grandmother has been terrified of storms. She would faithfully go to the local storm shelter every time it was open, until she was no longer well enough to take herself. Tornadoes terrified her. Ironically, the funeral home is across the street from the tornado siren tower here in town. And it was stormy the day of the funeral. Right in the middle of the service, the sirens went off.

And for once, my grandmother had no need or reason to be scared.



Onto happier topics. I am leaving tomorrow at noon to head to the DC area and then to NYC over the weekend. I am very much looking forward to spending time with friends and am going to have the wonderful chance to meet with some fellow bloggers in both areas. Allison was kind enough to organize a get together and she and I are going to go see Next to Normal while I'm there. I'm so excited I want to jump around like a 4 year old. :)

There are going to be a host of other bloggers there. I will be giving a full report when I get back home. :) Expect several different posts.

I will also be attending an Orioles game, seeing Rent in D.C. on my birthday, and hanging out with one of my best friends and my godson (who I think is the cutest baby on the planet).
And, being the last person on the planet without an iPhone, I will not have internet access for 7 days. If I do, it will be bumming from someone's computer. :)

I will be getting back into Tennessee late on the 27th. Expect any comment moderation to be done after that. And, expect lots and lots of pictures. :)